NEW DELHI: Strange it may sound but residents of Kailash Colony are scared about monkey attacks, mosquito bites and thefts due to their abundant greenery. Saplings planted about 40-50 years ago have grown into unpruned trees, which either tilt dangerously or branches almost into homes.
“Nobody has touched our trees ever. They are obstructing lights and entering homes, leading to insecurity where thieves can climb inside our rooms conveniently. In case of storms, they can fall and damage cars or kill people. Today, you want to plant more trees but no one cares for those which are already existing,” Kailash Colony Welfare Association (KCWA) general secretary Sarvjit Sondhi told The Morning Standard.
In 2018, the horticulture department had sanctioned pruning of 48 trees out of which 16 were done and later nine, as per minutes of a meeting of the KWCA mentioned. This, however, Sondhi refutes saying that “none of the trees were touched”.
Local councillor Shikha Rai said pruning was done under her tenure but added there is a huge backlog. “They (residents) got the pruning done but we cannot cut more than what is allowed. The problem is that they do not find it sufficient because the trees were not touched for years.”
Desilting woes
It's not just unpruned trees that are a headache for locals. Some builders have dumped debris on the roads which are making desilting a tough task, residents said.
“Builders have created a mess. Roads are blocked because of ongoing construction. Debris chokes drains and occupies the pedestrian area,” Sunita Gupta, a resident said.
Sondhi conceded that desilting was done in a half baked manner which is of no use. “Stormwater drains are cleaned in small sections, while most of them are covered and remain untouched.”
Meanwhile, the local councillor said desilting of drains is affected due to encroachments. “If something is covered, how can you clean it,” Rai added.
Dog-monkey menace
Stray dogs and monkeys frequenting roads and parks on odd times are another concern of residents. Manya, a young resident, narrated her ordeal when a monkey had barged into her room. “Some years ago, a monkey entered my room, ripped apart my teddy bear and then went on to the kitchen to open the fridge. It can happen again as there is nothing to restrain these monkeys,” she said, highlighting the simian threat to locals in the posh residential area.
Traffic congestion a regular feature
Thanks to a large number of visitors to the Kailash Colony market, traffic congestion is a regular feature. The barricades put up by the Delhi Police on all exit points of the residential area barring just one, has not gone down well with residents in this posh South Delhi residential area.
‘Precious time will be lost finding exit’
In medical emergency cases, KWCA executive member Shashi Sondhi said precious minutes will be spent on just finding the exit point at night. Ironically, these barricades were put up to regulate traffic movement and to prevent crime in the locality